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Parents' Guide to

You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?!

By Dawn Friedman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Inspiring intro to the baseball great's life.

Book Jonah Winter Sports 2009
You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

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age 7+

Based on 2 parent reviews

avivar
avivar Parent
October 23, 2014
age 7+

My favorite biography to read aloud

I can't help reading this book in a Brooklyn accent to my second graders and they just love it. Sandy's story is interesting to kids, the language and delivery really hook them. And for Jewish kids, both religious and not, his story can be especially inspirational.
Jamie and James
Jamie and James Parent of 5 and 7-year-old
July 1, 2010
age 6+

Young kids HAVE NEVER HEARD OF SANDY KOUFAX?

This is an inspiring book, even though my children do not yet understand it. My son is a left-hand pitcher on his little league, and I know this will be motivating for him when he gets older.
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Sandy Koufax was one of the greatest left-handed pitchers in professional baseball but even die-hard fans might have missed him. YOU NEVER HEARD OF SANDY KOUFAX?! introduces kids to Koufax's career from his start with the Dodgers as a rookie with a fast arm to his tenure as the pitcher no one could beat -- not even Mickey Mantle. Along the way the author shares tidbits of baseball history through tossed-off anecdotes and embedded charts.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (1 ):

Koufax's story is inspiring, and author Jonah Winter relates it easily using a friendly, colloquial voice ostensibly belonging to one of Koufax's unnamed teammates. The tone makes You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! a fun read-aloud for adults, and the picture book format gives even reluctant readers an easy way to get a lot of baseball history and stick-to-it inspiration in one sitting.

But what really makes this book a knockout are Andre Carrilho's highly stylized illustrations. Detailed with gold foil, the pictures manage to look modern while capturing the retro mood of the story. The heavy shadowing accurately imparts the drama of Koufax's story and the smooth swirl of graphite curves helps create movement, which is appropriate for a sports story.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! deals with antisemitism in professional sports during Koufax's reign. How have things changed since then?

  • What does it take to be great in sports? Is talent enough?

  • Can you think of other sports legends who struggled at the beginning? Look up the other baseball players mentioned throughout the book.

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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